Tim Lovejoy drops into the Fuelling Around studio to compare decades of TV chaos with his real-life car obsession. He recalls being hired on Fifth Gear despite not knowing much about cars, then explains how the internet made “real” stunts feel different from TV fakery. The chat turns to his 30 years of live weekend presenting, banger racing thrills, and why he loves sliding cars. He also shares his shift from TV-fitted Audi/A4s to a plug-in hybrid and now an electric Renault 5, plus practical worries about long-distance charging and driverless tech.
Television presenter Tim Lovejoy is the first guest on a brand new series of the award-winning podcast Fuelling Around.
Lovejoy, who is best known for presenting weekend TV shows such as Sunday Brunch, Soccer AM and Something For The Weekend joined Dave Vitty and new co-host Vicki Butler-Henderson to discuss his love of cars.
The 58-year-old also revealed all about life behind-the-scenes from some of TV’s most popular shows.
"...nd the other person goes, nah, Carby's getting an Astra. When your onset does a bit of professionalism k..."
The Opel Astra is a compact car for normal day-to-day driving. People often pick it because it’s practical and comfortable. The podcast mentions it because it was the car someone planned to get.
The Opel Astra is a compact car that’s typically chosen for everyday commuting, comfort, and practicality. In the podcast it’s mentioned as the car someone was getting, which highlights its role as a mainstream, sensible option. It comes up because it’s a widely known model people talk about when discussing what they drove or planned to buy.
"Fuelling Around is brought to you by Adrian Flux as UK's largest specialist insurance broker.
[48.7s] Adrian Flux will tailor a quote to exact needs, helping save you money on your car,"
Adrian Flux is an insurance company/broker in the UK. They specialize in getting the right kind of insurance for different vehicles, including cars and bikes.
Adrian Flux is a UK insurance broker known for specialty and enthusiast-focused coverage. In the context of this show, they’re sponsoring and offering tailored quotes for cars and bikes.
"No, Tim, I really enjoyed working together on Fifth Gear and just soaking up your relaxed atmosphere and your just relaxed presence."
“Fifth Gear” was a TV show about cars in the UK. People watched it to learn about different cars and driving, and the presenters became pretty famous.
“Fifth Gear” was a UK automotive TV show known for car reviews, motoring news, and presenter-led challenges. It’s a big part of how many enthusiasts learned about cars and driving culture in the UK.
"...on Top Gear or something, they go, your carburettor's fallen off. It's like, yeah, but you know, that's a setup."
They bring up “Top Gear” to explain that some TV moments can be planned or staged. The idea is that what looks like a real failure or chaos moment might actually be set up for the show.
“Top Gear” is referenced as an example of TV stunts that may be staged. The point is that some dramatic moments on traditional TV can be pre-arranged, unlike internet clips that are often presented as spontaneous.
"but there were some chat rooms, which really hammered me like football. I get a lot of grief. But on these car chat rooms,"
Back then, people talked about cars in online chat rooms. It was like a big group discussion, and sometimes it got pretty intense.
The speaker references early online car discussion spaces, where enthusiasts debated shows, personalities, and automotive knowledge. These forums/chat rooms were a major way car culture spread before modern social media and video platforms.
"I do remember the banger racing, though. I remember the GWIS very well. I remember the banger racing because it was so exciting."
Banger racing is a kind of race where people use older cars that can get damaged. The fun is in the rough, unpredictable action rather than perfect cars.
Banger racing is a motorsport where older, often beat-up cars are raced and frequently take contact damage. It’s popular because the cars are expendable and the racing is chaotic and entertaining.
"I've done it in a Rolls Royce lookalike with a sort of Ford Granada underpinnings. It is a riot."
They’re saying the race car’s main mechanical parts were based on a Ford Granada. So even if it looked fancy, the important bits were from a regular Ford.
The Ford Granada is a mid-size car produced by Ford (1970s–1990s, depending on market). The key point here is that the speaker’s banger-racing car used Granada “underpinnings,” meaning the chassis/mechanical base came from that model.
"...it had, what was that word people used to say, colour coding, which meant that there was a little bit of white on the wing mirrors,"
“Colour coding” means parts of the car are painted to match the rest of the body. Here, it sounds like the wing mirrors had some white on them to match the car’s color.
“Colour coding” here refers to matching body or trim colors to specific parts of the car, like mirrors or other exterior details. In this context, it means the wing mirrors had a bit of white on them, making the car look more coordinated and styled.
"there's not many mums that are going to be doing doughnuts on the way from the..."
Doughnuts are when a car spins in a tight circle, making the tires slide. It’s risky and can be illegal if done on public roads.
Doughnuts are tight circular maneuvers, usually done by breaking traction with the tires (often via throttle and steering). They’re commonly associated with drifting-style behavior, but on public roads they’re illegal and dangerous.
"I've got like all modern cars. I just put the thingy on the, what's it, what do you call it? Cruise control. Cruise control, 20 and I just sit there..."
Cruise control is a feature that lets your car keep a chosen speed by itself. You set the speed once, and then the car tries to hold it for you.
Cruise control is a driver-assistance feature that holds a set speed without you keeping your foot on the accelerator. It’s often used to maintain a steady pace, which can help with fuel economy and reduce speeding mistakes.
"We're experimenting with Waymo. Is it Waymo? Waymo, the driverless cars, what are they called?"
Waymo is a company that makes self-driving car technology. In some places, their cars may still have people involved for safety while the system learns.
Waymo is Alphabet’s self-driving car company, known for operating autonomous vehicles in select cities. Their systems have historically included safety drivers or human supervision during early phases of deployment.
"“the next week I went out and bought a Jeep, you know, Grand Cherokee Jeep.”"
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a larger SUV. Tim is saying he went from a smaller car to a big, confident SUV after seeing how people reacted to his Astra.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a mid-size SUV known for being a popular “big” vehicle choice in the UK and US. Tim frames it as a deliberate upgrade—buying the biggest car he could—so it becomes a key part of his personal progression of celebrity vehicles.
"“I became a real TV lovey then because I got in with Audi… they gave me an A8.”"
Audi is a luxury car brand from Germany. Tim is talking about Audi giving him a car for events, which helped shape what he drove on TV.
Audi is a German luxury automaker known for its upscale interiors, technology, and lineup spanning from mainstream models to flagship vehicles like the A8. Here, Audi is central because Tim describes a relationship where Audi provided him a car for VIP-style events, influencing his “TV car” trajectory.
"“they gave me an A8. Nice. And then I was like, it's a big car, isn't it?”"
The Audi A8 is a high-end luxury car. Tim is describing how Audi supplied him with one, which shows he was stepping up in status and comfort.
The Audi A8 is Audi’s full-size luxury sedan, typically associated with executive comfort and a premium driving experience. In the episode, Tim mentions being given an A8 by Audi, which signals a move from “bigger” to “more luxurious” as his TV persona evolved.
"So they gave me a nice price on an A4. [1944.8s] I had a TV in it. Oh my God, I had a car with a TV in it."
The Audi A4 is a common everyday car from Audi. Here, it matters because the speaker says their A4 had a TV in it, which made family trips and watching sports easier.
The Audi A4 is a compact executive sedan/wagon that’s often chosen for everyday comfort and practicality. In this story, it’s the first “big” upgrade where the speaker highlights a specific in-car feature: a built-in TV.
"Then I went for the big cars after the A4. I went Q7, [1982.5s] Q7 did a load of those."
The Audi Q7 is a bigger family SUV. The speaker tried it for a while, but later realized they didn’t need that much space anymore.
The Audi Q7 is a large three-row SUV known for family-friendly space and comfort. The speaker mentions moving to the Q7 after the A4, then later deciding they didn’t need such a big vehicle.
"[2011.9s] like it was a petrol, but I had a bit of electric to it as well. Oh yeah, a hybrid. [2016.1s] Yeah, but it wasn't a hybrid, which it was a, you actually had to plug it in to get the electric going."
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on gas and also on electricity. The electricity part usually works best when you charge it by plugging it in.
A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is a hybrid car that has a battery you can charge from an external power source. Unlike a standard hybrid, the electric-only capability depends on having charge available, so you often need to plug it in regularly.
"And then I thought, this is pretty good. So the next mini I got was fully electric. [2090.6s] And is that what you've got now?"
A fully electric car doesn’t use petrol. It runs on electricity stored in a battery, and you have to charge it.
“Fully electric” means the car runs only on an electric motor powered by a battery, with no gasoline engine. Charging is required, and the driving range depends on battery size and conditions.
"It's electric Renault 5, but it has a baguette holder. Oh, yes. I don't have one of those, but you can get a baguette holder."
A “baguette holder” is a special spot in the car meant to carry a baguette. It’s a quirky, lifestyle-type feature rather than something mechanical.
A “baguette holder” is a niche interior accessory designed to carry a baguette safely—played for laughs as a very “French” touch. It’s an example of how manufacturers market lifestyle-oriented features beyond pure performance.
"It's nostalgia. Nostalgia. Because the design of it is so similar to the original Renault 5, it's absolutely kicked into the nostalgia. I've had a couple of Renault 5s and people have stopped me as well and had chats."
The Renault 5 is an old, famous Renault hatchback. The new car being discussed looks a lot like it, so people feel nostalgic when they see it.
The Renault 5 is a classic small hatchback from Renault, originally launched in the late 1970s and widely loved for its simple, playful design. In this segment, the speaker says a newer car’s design is very similar to the Renault 5, which is why it triggers strong nostalgia.
"I was going to... I mean, this was the thing. I was going to ask you whether electric cars were your thing... They're a nightmare if you're thinking about going long distance."
Electric cars (EVs) rely on battery power and charging rather than refueling at a gas station. The speaker highlights a common EV ownership tradeoff: they’re great for local driving, but long-distance trips depend heavily on charging availability and planning.
"Like it's... No boot. No nothing. I mean, there was enough room to put your sandwiches in the back and that was it."
In the UK, “boot” means the trunk where you put bags and luggage. They’re saying this car doesn’t have much space back there.
“Boot” is the UK term for the trunk/cargo compartment. The speaker points out that the Elise has “no boot,” illustrating how some sports cars have limited everyday practicality despite being fun to drive.
"Mr. Lovejoy. It's called 0-60 cleverly because you'll have almost exactly 60 seconds on the clock to answer as many questions as you can."
“0-60” is a measure of how quickly a car can get up to 60 mph from a stop. Faster times usually mean quicker acceleration.
“0-60” refers to the time it takes a car to accelerate from 0 mph (or km/h) to 60 mph. In this segment it’s used as the name of a rapid-fire quiz, but the term itself is a common performance metric in car culture.
"Citroen Safari DS. I think they're called those old ones, which they use in the horse racing because of the suspension. Quick question."
Suspension is what helps the car ride smoothly over bumps and uneven ground. It affects both comfort and how stable the car feels when you drive.
Suspension is the system that connects a car to its wheels and controls ride comfort, handling, and how the car behaves over bumps. The speaker links the Citroën’s suspension to why it’s used in horse-racing contexts, implying it’s good at absorbing uneven surfaces.
"Do you like Formula One? I like the documentary series about it."
Formula One is the highest level of car racing, with teams and drivers competing on famous tracks worldwide. It’s known for very advanced technology.
Formula One (F1) is the top tier of international open-wheel racing, known for cutting-edge aerodynamics, hybrid power units, and intense competition. The speaker says they enjoy the documentary series about it, showing how F1 has a big mainstream fanbase.
"And I once got out of a car, road rage, as soon as I opened the door and got out of the car, I went, what am I doing?"
Road rage is when someone gets really angry while driving and reacts aggressively. The safer move is to calm down instead of making things worse.
Road rage is aggressive or hostile driving behavior triggered by frustration or conflict on the road. It often escalates quickly, which is why the speaker emphasizes stepping away and calming down before reacting.
"And I cycle a lot. I've got an e-bike and I cycle a lot round town because that's the best way of getting around."
An e-bike is a bike with a motor that helps you pedal. It can make getting around town easier and less tiring.
An e-bike is a bicycle with an electric motor assist, making it easier to ride around town. The speaker mentions using an e-bike for commuting, which ties into how different road users interact on shared streets.
"And that's one of my big points with driverless cars in towns. It's like all of those stepping stones of pedestrians, buses, bus routes, bike routes before it can go out."
Driving itself in cities is tough because there are lots of people and vehicles moving unpredictably. The point is that self-driving systems need to be tested and improved step-by-step for city streets before they can handle everything.
Urban driving is harder for autonomy than open roads because of frequent interactions with pedestrians, buses, and cyclists, plus complex route behavior. The “stepping stones” idea refers to gradually expanding the operational design domain (ODD) before full deployment.
"Right. Our final question, your dream drive. Can you please paint the picture for us? Where in the world are you? Where are you going? Who are you with? And most importantly, what wheels are you in?"
A “dream drive” is basically your perfect road-trip fantasy. It’s about the vibe—where you’d go and what car you’d want—more than numbers or technical details.
A “dream drive” is a fun way to describe an ideal driving scenario—where you go, who you’re with, and what car you’d choose. In car culture, it often highlights the emotional side of driving, not just performance specs.
"The ultimate car for me was because of all the celebrities was the Rolls Royce. I'm not sure I've ever been in one. I don't think I've ever been in a Rolls Royce."
They’re talking about Rolls-Royce as the dream luxury car they grew up seeing in TV and stories. It’s more about the brand’s image than a specific model.
The speaker is using Rolls-Royce as a shorthand for the “ultimate” dream car from childhood pop-culture. That brand identity matters in car fandom—people often connect brands to specific eras, celebrities, and lifestyles.
"They lend themselves to a chauffeur. They do. They do. They do. Really. You almost don't really feel right driving it yourself."
The discussion highlights how Rolls-Royce ownership is often associated with being chauffeured rather than driving yourself. In practice, the car’s layout, ride comfort, and “back-seat first” experience are part of the appeal.
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I just remember being so blown away by that, thinking, why would you do that?
That's a great question.
Why would you do that?
It was insanity.
And I pulled in and I parked up with my mate and somewhere in Fulham to park to go to the game.
And these people have walked past and they went, oh, isn't that Tim Lovejoy?
And the other person goes, nah, Carby's getting an Astra.
When your onset does a bit of professionalism kick in.
You can tell she's worked with me.
Hello and welcome to Fuelling Around. I'm Vicki Butler Henderson.
And I'm Dave Vitti, bringing you the very best in mototainment every single week.
Fuelling Around is brought to you by Adrian Flux as UK's largest specialist insurance broker.
Adrian Flux will tailor a quote to exact needs, helping save you money on your car,
your bike or even your home insurance.
Now, don't forget to press subscribe if you are watching on YouTube and also press follow
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Now then, our special guest today is an ex-partner of mine in a professional capacity,
of course. We were a TV couple for a little while on Fifth Gear as he added wheels to
footballs to his list of presenting talents. He's now a connoisseur in the kitchen on our screens
every Sunday morning and he's also a radio presenter, author, podcaster and an all-round
lovely man. He is Tim Lovejoy. I like author. Is that a stretch? I had a ghost written book.
This is got hammered online, which is brilliant. Anyone that's got a book to their name,
then I think you can call them an author. Tim, thank you very much for joining us here
on Fuelling Around. It's lovely to see you. I hope this isn't going to be in any way awkward,
obviously, because I'm now Vicki's current TV partner and you're obviously an ex-TV partner.
I don't want this to be strange like it sometimes is with ex-people, but that said,
could you give me any tips on how to deal with her general mood swings and diva behavior?
Well, actually, I'd say she was better than me. I imagine she's better than you at this job,
so that's what I'm imagining. So just hang in there. I didn't realize you'd seen the shell already.
Oh, boys, I'm blushing. Thanks, Wolfie. That was very kind of you. No, Tim, I really enjoyed
working together on Fifth Gear and just soaking up your relaxed atmosphere and your just relaxed
presence. It was a very calming thing for us on Fifth Gear as we were in the Ace Cafe. Yes.
And a load of lovely, wonderful bikers were just coming in and out behind us as we were
trying to make a TV show and they're ordering great big fry-ups. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Did you?
Um, right. This is therapy, isn't it? Yeah, it's too therapy. I did, but I didn't. I'll tell you
why, right? So I don't know if you remember the story. What happens is I did an item on the show
the season before and the producer, James Woodruff, top bloke said, do you fancy doing some
presenting? I'd made him laugh because I turned up to do this car and I went, I don't care what's
in the engine, all I care about is what it looks like, the interior looks like, if it's a nice
color and what the radio or stereo is like, etc. And he found that amusing. So he said,
would you like to come on? Because I don't know a lot about cars. Would you like to take that role
of not knowing a lot about cars and talking about it on the screen? And I thought, yeah, that's
good fun. But there was two problems with that. The first problem is when you do a show like Fifth
Gear, you record for three hours, like three minutes. And I'm used to doing live. And if I
found that really hard work, I don't mean the bits in the Ace Cafe, but when you went out and did the
VT's for the show, like I was a traffic warden. And that was amazing. When I was being just,
just changed the subject. But I did was a traffic ward. People just shout abuse at you in the
street at the time. Yeah, there may be a traffic. You'll have to swear on this. If it's justified,
yes. All right. You can bleep me though. Oh, yeah. Oh, really? And that's the way I did.
I did bang a car racing. That was amazing. That was so much fun. I did stunt driving.
That was good. Well, I learned how to like, you know, like spin into space and stuff like that.
What else did I do? I did a few things and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn't we have a race
once? Yep. I think we did. To get a cup of tea. Yeah, something like that. And you actually blitz
me. And then there was one time that I was sitting with Polter. He bought a 4GT or something. So
they took it out, they found one and they took it out and they, you know, said let's race it
around the track and he was racing it. Ian Paul to the golfer. Yeah. He was racing it really fast
around the track. And I was in the passenger seat and I hated every minute of it because I'm like
looking at him. He's going, this is brilliant, isn't it? And I'm thinking, you're a golfer,
not a driver. I don't trust you. Anyway, so we finished and I go out the car and I'm like,
I'm not getting back in that car. And the cameraman, I promise you, goes, can you do one more for me?
And I'm like, absolutely not. Not a chance. I'm doing that again. And I think that's where you,
I think that's what happened with TV actually, getting serious for one minute is, is that a lot
of that stuff is faked. And I thought, you've got to catch that reel because I was terrified.
And if I did that again, I've had to act and I couldn't. And then when the internet came along,
everything became real. So suddenly you've got all this real stuff happening whilst a lot of TV
is faking it. So you can see if, you know, on Top Gear or something, they go, your carburettor's
fallen off. It's like, yeah, but you know, that's a setup. You know that they've done that 14 times
or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whereas the internet was catching stuff real happening
and reality TV was. And I think TV then needed to learn a lesson and rather than have two cameras,
they needed 14 cameras on it. Just in case cameras became cheaper. So they could have done it.
Anyway, that was one thing that everything took so long to do. And then the second thing was
every time I went out, people come up and talk to me about cars. Oh, bless you.
If you think football fans, if you think they're passionate, people who like cars,
it's a different level. And if you want a particularly car sort of oriented chap,
then it's difficult. People can't say if you've seen the new, and I'll be like, no.
And then they start talking to me. So some people got it and understood that I didn't know,
but a lot of people didn't and just thought because I was on the car show, they would know about it.
And then I don't think the internet was as prolific back then, but there were some chat rooms,
which really hammered me like football. I get a lot of grief. But on these car chat rooms,
but I thought they had a good point. It's that for a lot of people, their dream job would be to
work on a car show, right? Like yours probably. And and then suddenly you've got me a chance
to work here. And I think I did a good job because I was taking it from another perspective.
I also thought I'm probably taking a job of somebody who really would love to be there for
cars and has that sort of passion. So I felt like I was a bit of a charlatan there. And
it did affect me a bit because I was a bit, I got really hammered for it.
As I say, you know, I suppose, yeah, looking at it that way, you were presumably asking the
questions that people might be asking at home, you know, sort of maybe not knowing exactly
how that works and sort of doing that every man thing. But I ended up down a rabbit hole the other
day looking at some preparing for this highbrow interview, obviously, and looking at some old
clips of YouTube. And I saw the banging racing with Alan Davis, wasn't it? But that was weird,
though, because, because literally you were there and he's like, we're going to bang a race. And
I was like, what's Alan Davis doing there? Because he just sort of appeared. Then didn't you do
something where you were driving a car on the roof of it or something? Weren't you doing something
where the cars were stuck together? Stacked up. Yeah, one person like does the pedals and the
other one does the steering. There was also, what else was there? So you were in the A's cafe.
I had some stuff with Ian Polter, stuff with David Hay. So what they decided to do is get
celebrities in to do stuff with me. Yeah. And then so you were in the A's cafe, then you got Tiff
racing a plane or something somewhere. There was then this, you had to review the G Wiz,
which was the electric vehicle, which was, you know, very different to electric cars now.
And you were there with your, with your twin girls, you're only about four at the time. But
anyway, this is all to say that this was the year 2006, I think. And if my kind of maths are correct,
I was thinking, how on earth did you have time? Because you must have been doing soccer AM,
you must have been doing fifth gear, you must have been doing something for the weekend as well.
I mean, you were everywhere at the time. I don't know if that started something for the weekend
at that stage. I can't remember. Sometimes the weekend, by the way, for those that don't know,
was effectively Sunday brunch on a different channel. Completely different show, mate.
Yeah, the same sort of show. You were very busy. Yeah, I was doing XFM as well, I think. Of course,
yeah. Or had I just finished that, I can't remember, I'm virgin. You used to one of those
things where you get a job in this industry, you just take everything, don't you? Everything
everyone offered me. Have you got young mouths to feed? Exactly. Well, also, you don't know when
you're going to get sacked next. This year, actually, I celebrate 30 years in doing live
weekend TV. It's mad, isn't it? I've never had a weekend for 30 years. I know, I know. It's
worth it though, right? Good job. But that's the thing, isn't it? You know, 30 years, because you
know, you think, I don't know, you think sort of 30 years must have been back in the 80s or
something, but it's just terrifying to think that 30 years ago in 1996, you know, and such a memorable
year for so many different things, football, for music, especially, you know, it was one of those,
we all know where we were, don't we? Yeah. Are you doing anything to celebrate those 30 years?
I keep, I just can't be bothered. Like, I keep thinking I need to do something.
Do something, yeah. And then I just slide over. This is the time for you to write your own book,
and then you can be a proper author. I can't remember any of that. He just talks about me
being in a car on top of a car. I don't even remember that. I do remember the banger racing,
though. I remember the GWIS very well. I remember the banger racing because it was so exciting.
If anyone hasn't done banger racing, have you done it? I know, I've watched it many times. I've
never actually done it. Have you done it? Yeah, I've done it. I've done it in a Rolls Royce lookalike
with a sort of Ford Granada underpinnings. It is a riot. It is the earthy side of motorsport,
you know, where people just get involved and anything goes, hitting, banging.
You know when your young kids go, chase me, and they love it, and you're chasing around that?
That is what it felt like. All they wanted to do was tip me. They wanted to try and tip me,
and they kept talking about it. And so they were trying to gang up on me and work it out so they
could flip me. That's it. That's the world I'm looking for. And I was terrified, and I was laughing
so much because they just kept nudging me and nudging me and trying to spin me. I'm hoping you
are getting this because I don't want to do it again. Yeah, exactly. It was so terrifying,
but amazing. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed doing that, yeah. Over the 30 years,
have there been special guests that have stood out with you? I think when I did exactly what
Dave's just saying there, I was at the perfect storm with soccer AM. I was right in the heart of
the 90s, and so I'd worked on The Big Breakfast, and they hated football on The Big Breakfast.
I promise you this. I went there, and I was there in probably 93, 94-ish sort of time,
and football still hadn't recovered from football violence in the 80s and stuff like that. The
Taylor Report had come along. Stadiums were starting to get new. Everyone had to have the all-seater
stadiums and et cetera, et cetera. And I remember leaving Big Breakfast, and they bought me a
football because I was the quirky one who liked football. I did a couple of OBs actually, one
at Man United and one at Liverpool, and I thought that was really exciting, and no one there cared
about it. I never realised that they weren't into football on that show. No one was. Entertainment
industry wasn't because it was so vulgar because of the football violence for such a long time.
96 happened, and it was unbelievable. It was also the time where Oasis were coming along,
and all the indie bands were coming along, and also the urban music was starting to happen.
On ITV, we had Ant and Deck doing SMTV. Was that what it was called? Yeah,
and they were doing all the pop acts, and so it was open for us to go, well, let's put all the
indie acts on, and all the urban acts. So we were getting all the people, and it became very,
very cool, and everyone wanted to come on the show, and I was like, there is the perfect
storm. So I suppose the thing was, if you say perfect, get a great guess, I think that moment
when we had Robbie Fowler came on, the first biggest footballer, we had Ray Winston come on,
who was the first really mega actor who came on, and Noel Gallagher, and those three, to me,
were the three who made the biggest impact because they were the ones who allowed other
people to go, well, I can go on that show now. And I think when you've got people like that on
there, it's just a perfect endorsement, isn't it? Because you've got, I vividly remember Ray
Winston and Noel being on there, but when Noel's there laughing on the sofa, and he knows, but
it was also apparent that he knew the characters as well, which I thought was the most powerful
endorsement of the show. It wasn't like he just turned up and he's thinking, what's going on here.
He knew all the characters on there. He knew tubes, and he knew sheet padding,
he knew all that kind of stuff, and he was very much sort of part of the thing, which I thought
was just a lovely thing, because it was an institution at the time. We all know how TV
works, right? You get a guess because they're doing promo to flock something, right? That's how
all TV works. Soccer M didn't work like that. Soccer M worked because people wanted to come on.
Now, there were obviously loads of people out there doing promo, but both Noel Gallagher and Ray
Winston came on when they weren't in promo, and Robbie Fowler obviously is not doing promo because
he's just a footballer. So they would come on because they would just wanted to come on and
have a laugh and be associated with football, I think, and the show. So it was an amazing time,
really. Absolutely. And people must still talk to you about that now, surely. I mean,
as I say, it's 30 years since you started. With the greatest respect, as you say, you've been
doing weekends for 30 years, and you've been doing what you're doing now far longer than you were
doing Soccer M for. But people still must associate you with that show. That was your show, wasn't it?
Yeah. I mean, it was a big time. I had the guy from the band Molotovs on the other day,
and the little kid there in the band, I say, look, that's so patronising and rude, but they're a
brilliant band in Molotovs. They're brother and sister, aren't they? Yeah. And the brother's 17
years old, and at the right end of the show, he goes, I'm so good to meet you. And he goes,
my dad's been making me watch all Soccer M stuff. You guys have been watching it for years, and it's
like, some of it does the rounds again. Do I like that? It's funny. I went on Soccer M. I was,
I did go on one time with you and Helen Chamberlain and had the best time. It was really fun,
just utter fun. Wonderful professional chaos. Yeah, it was. And you know what the thing is,
as I said, I'd worked on The Big Breakfast and The Big Breakfast, God bless them. It was brilliant,
and it was groundbreaking. I couldn't believe I got a job there, but it was quite intense,
the experience there, you know, and there was a lot of people with clipboard shouting at people
and all that sort of stuff. And when I got to Soccer M, when I built my little team there,
I said to them, should we just have fun? Yeah. And I think if you, you know, you experienced it,
just the fun. And I think that comes across on the screen, same with Sunday Brunch. You know,
when I first got, we were on a BBC show, as you said, something for the weekend to begin with,
and there was a lot of clipboards. A lot of people with clipboards in TV, isn't there?
Earpieces and clipboards, aren't they? Earpieces and clipboards, yeah. And there's a lot of people
who think they're quite... Can we do that? Can we do that? Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of people
very important. And it's not really that important, it's just telling you.
But it was a self-deprecating nature, I think, of the show, which made it appealing. Again,
I mean that with the great respect, because it was real, and it was clear that there was a
load of people who genuinely were mates, because you could tell that you were going to go out
afterwards, because you can't, you know, with Rocket and Fenders and stuff like that. And,
you know, you can't fake that, I don't think. And I think that's why people liked it,
because you're sitting there with a brew and a bacon sandwich on a Saturday morning watching it,
kind of thinking, these guys are just having a laugh. Well, ideas would die on air, and we
would think it was funny, because we had spent the week doing it. And I think the audience
were with us in it. I think that's the thing I still don't feel I've ever crossed over
from being an audience member. I still think I'm a bit of a chance, so I always feel like I'm a
viewer rather than the other side of it, you know. I think that definitely comes across as well
with Sunday brunch, because when you watch it, it is definitely like an extension of our own
home. You know, we're here on a sofa eating a bacon butty, and you're not that far away.
When you go to work for it, is it you're just going out, you know, for a morning with Simon
Rimmer and having a nice time with your charms, or when your onset does a bit of professionalism
kicking. You can tell she's worked with me.
She had to write that three times to get the tone right.
I always think the prep's done before the show, right? So, you know, Saturday now, at least they've
put Ram so much into the show on Sunday now. It's like three hours long, there's so many
interviews in it, and I feel that Saturday now, it shows three hours, it takes me four hours on
a Saturday to learn it all, because I have to research the hell out, and I still get stuff
wrong all the time. So, this weekend, just past we had Tiffany on. So, I'm like having to look
through and learn everything, and then there's one beautiful bit of knowledge is she gave up,
and we never got to this bit, she gave up Celebrity and Fame and worked in a home decor store.
I was just about to get promoted, and they went, aren't you Tiffany from the telly?
I think we're alone now. Yeah, exactly, and then she didn't get her promotion,
and she had to leave, and then she went back into Celebrity again. I couldn't get there in the three
hours. I know that sounds mad, we have so many guests, and I was like, I had this bit of stuff,
and I was like, I've got to get there, I've got to get there, and I couldn't get there, and it was
really frustrating for me, because I thought the viewers would have loved that. But you say, there's
a huge, I never really thought about that before, you know, for example doing this, we have one guest
at a time like yourself, and it's a bit like, you know, but when you've got, I mean, how many
guests you have each show, is it eight? One, two, three, four, it depends on every week, but at least
six to seven, at least between six and eight. But I mean, as you say, and I've not thought about that
before, every week, that's a huge amount of churn in terms of facts and biogs and watching that film
they're in, and you know, learning who the Molotovs are or whatever, there's a lot of stuff going on.
Yeah, I do love it though, that's the one thing is the good thing about the pandemic,
sorry, I didn't word that very well.
Listen, there was a lot of bad things, but there was some good came out of it as well.
The show, we weren't allowed to have people in the kitchen, so what would happen before is when
people come to the kitchen, the guests would go down and sit in the green room, or do something,
they'd leave the studio, and then suddenly during the pandemic, we had fewer guests,
but they'd all sit around the table separate, because it was hard to get people around the TV
studio with the masks and everything else, so it was easier to have them just sit there,
and they weren't allowed to come up and cook, because you remember, celebrities used to come up
and cook at the time, and then that stopped, and then suddenly as the pandemic started
leaving us, and things were opening up, we just kept them all sitting there, and then suddenly
it worked out that they would just sit for three hours and enjoy the show, and suddenly it just
worked so much better, so the show was just reinvented, so I feel like it's a new show now,
because they all just sit there, and they genuinely, I always say this, they genuinely
have such a great time, because they all meet each other, because they have to sit with each other,
they talk, and I joke every now and then, if you start a WhatsApp group, like they do on the jungle
or something, you survive three hours a Sunday branch. It does have that feeling whereby it's
almost like they are the front row of an audience, if you like, who just happened to also jump in
and out every so often, or you ask some questions, but I love the fact that they just kind of sit
there and just watch it, and sort of learning. And then on a show like last week, I can only remember
one week at a time, and last week we had Tiffany on, all the guests, because they know the song,
and if they don't know the song, they'd have known it through Stranger Things, or what other film was
it on? It's been in so many films that they're sitting there going, there's Tiffany, it's like
people get excited about that, so it's kind of cool, yeah.
No, I love it. Listen, I could talk to you about Soccer AM and Sunday brunch all day,
but I'm mindful that this is technically a carbon cast, so we should really kind of
move on to that world now. So, Tim Lovejoy, what were your earliest car memories? What was it that
first stirred something inside you when it comes to vehicles? My first car memory is my dad going to
me and my little brother, there's a sports car in the road, sports car's funny, and he goes,
come out and we lived in this little sort of terraced house thing in an area in northwest London,
and he dragged us out, and there was this red car there, and he went, he went, oh, it looks nice,
doesn't it? He goes, oh, wonder, he goes, it's open, and he opened it, and then he went, there's
the keys are in it, and he goes, come on, let's all get in and go for a drive, and my brother,
we can't do that, we can't do that, he goes, get in, come on, let's do it anyway, we got in this
car, and we started, we drove down the road, and he'd got a company car, and he'd got a princess,
who made Princess, Austin Princess, the wedge shaped one, and it was wedge shaped, yeah, so
no, we thought it was a sports car, and I remember going, oh, my dad's got a sports car,
yeah, that princess, it did look cool though at the time, it looked him heavy, terrible,
and when he had it now, it'd be worth a few Bob, because it's over there,
I tell you what, there's not many have survived, is there?
What about your first driving test, or first and last driving test?
First and last, I was first time, I was 17, well, I lived out in the sort of Watford area,
and so to drive around out in Hertfordshire, as soon as you got to 17, you had to drive,
otherwise you couldn't get anywhere, do you know what I mean, so we all passed, I was lucky enough,
my mum had also just managed to get herself a company car, a company car for all the rage,
but then there's part of the package, and so she had a Renault 5, super cool, white,
white Renault 5, and it had, what was that word people used to say, colour coding,
which meant that there was a little bit of white on the wing mirrors,
I think a little bit of white on the windscreen wipers, and so she said you can drive that,
my brother had already passed, he was older and he'd already passed and got himself a car,
so he got himself a Cortina, like an old Cortina, had a Colonel Bogey horn on it,
it was amazing, leather interior, it was phenomenal, that car was phenomenal,
so I had this Renault 5, first thing I did was go out and put fat tyres on it,
as you do when you're a kid, so I had that white Renault 5, that was my first car,
which was amazing, I loved it. Because it's a real, we talk about this a lot, in terms of that
moment where you hear those immortal words you've passed, in terms of the driving test,
it's just the freedom that that affords you, because it is genuinely life changing, isn't it,
you know, certainly for you as a 17 or 18 year old or whatever it is, and I can still vividly
remember passing my test, and I could drive, my auntie Carol had this little blue Ford Fiesta,
right, and Mark I, W Reg, and I remember she said oh you can take that to the shops,
and I went to Blockbuster Video, right, to go and show him my age, but it was just that moment
where you looked to your left, and there's no one there, and it's such a, it is such a wonderful
thing, can you remember that independence that it gave you? Yeah well I started working in a,
I kind of left school earlier, sort of, pretty much, I'd gone to college but I didn't do anything
at college, just went out a lot, so I sort of left school as soon as I could, went to college,
didn't do, my parents went to college, and they didn't tell me, it was like a parents'
evening, they didn't tell me, and then they called me in when they got home, said we went to your
parents' evening today, and I said really? They went yeah, and they went the teacher said he'd
like to meet you one day, I was like ah okay, and they said we think you should leave, because
you're not doing anything, and I was like yeah, so I got a job in a clothes shop, but it was in
Watford, and rather than get at the bus, it meant that I could now, because I'd passed my driving
test, I could drive there, and it was because you could park in those days, do you know what I mean,
it was like you could park on the side of a road and stuff, so that was it, that was it, I'd drive
backwards and forwards, so yeah I remember that sort of freedom, and then it just opened up the
world, I could go to Hemel Hempstead every now and then, I could go to Harrow, go to all this great place,
it was your lobster isn't it at that point, yeah I could drive down to Wembley Market,
and go and look for some clothes, yeah it was cool. After the Renault 5 then, what did you spend
your first money on? Ford Escort, Ford Escort, Ford Escort, Gray it was, Gray? Yeah, well I think
they called it silver, but in those days silver was, you know there was either the expensive
metallic paint, or there was like gray, which they called silver, and mine was sort of gray,
which they called silver, I had it out one day and it was boiling hot weather, I remember this,
so so hot, and I went to Indicate and the Indicator snapped because it was too hot,
it melted, so I was driving around with just the little stuff, stuff working on that, yeah.
Were you fanatical about keeping the car clean, or were you dustbin type? Dustbin, yeah it's horrific.
I think that stays with you, I mean we haven't talked about this yet, are you a messy car person?
I just, as long as it's got a decent engine and a rear-wheel drive chassis, I literally
wouldn't really care what it looks like. Why does it have to be rear-wheel?
So that I can do doughnuts and slits. Where? Waitress car park. So I at the moment I've got a
new 911 on Borough, just for testing, Porsche 911 GT3 992.2 with a big wing on the back,
okay, it is epic, and the registration plate is A911, because it belongs to Porsche,
and the kids have gotten this weekend and said, mum, mum, can we go and do some slides?
So there's a special little place that I can go and do some slides and they love it.
What do you love so much about an engine? Well it's not, it's just that it's the combination
of a strong engine and being able to slide the car, to make a car dance, whilst I'm fully in
control, it gives me total joy, and it's the only thing I can do reasonably well in my life.
What do you think about electric cars, have you driven those?
Well we have a question coming up later on, I don't know whether we should go.
Okay, we'll wait there. When I work with you, you've got on a motorbike and went just ridiculously
fast. I can't remember how fast you went now. I think it was 178 miles now, but it was in a
straight line, there was no talent there really. I just remember it being so blown away by that,
thinking, why would you do that? It was insanity. But you've been banger racing and you understand
the thrill and the excitement that you got from that. Yeah, but I was in a cage, you're on a bike.
Yeah, I mean there's a very different speed. And on a motorbike you come off it.
Yeah, I agree, but it was in a straight line on a dead flat bit of tarmac.
Yeah, but that still only takes a little something, doesn't it?
I would imagine the school run for your kids is very different to most children, isn't it?
You know, I mean there's not many mums that are going to be doing doughnuts on the way from the...
Do you have 20 up miles an hour everywhere? Yeah, we do, which I love, I love 20.
Do you? Why? Because if you're a human on the pavement, or you're a kid on the pavement,
it's so reassuring to know that cars are doing 20. Why not make it 10?
Yeah, make it 10, perfect. Yeah, a maximum of 20. One. Yeah, well I think it used to be one
mile an hour and somebody used to back in like 100 years ago and somebody walked along with a
flag in front of the car. Probably 20, I don't mind 20. I've got like all modern cars. I just
put the thingy on the, what's it, what do you call it? Cruise control. Cruise control, 20 and I just
sit there with the sort of like, so I don't get caught by cameras, like a lot of people do,
but then there's someone behind you who's annoyed and they're like, they're trying and it's like,
it's so, it becomes quite a painful, 20 becomes quite painful in London because everyone's sitting
up your bum all the time. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's always better though to pull over and let
them go because it's easy to have the idiot in front of you because you can control them better
than behind you. But then I know in London that you'll get the next one, the next one.
We're experimenting with Waymo. Is it Waymo? Waymo, the driverless cars, what are they called?
Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're happening in London now, but they've got humans in them at
the moment. Okay. In the, around my way. And we've seen a couple. So they, we're going to have driverless
cars soon. What do you think about that? That's a can of worms. I think that's a whole different
thing. Happy to talk about it. Quick bit of mid-show housekeeping. If you haven't already,
please press subscribe on YouTube so that you never miss an episode, or you can press the
follow button on Apple or Spotify or whatever you get your podcasts from. Tim, so in terms of the
here and now, what's the current motor and how long have you been together? Can I tell you one thing
before that though? Just because I think you'll like this story. I'm a Chelsea throw a bit of
football in there. And I'm soccer M's buzzing. It's flying. As we mentioned earlier, celebrity
after celebrity on. It's absolutely flying. And I'm, I'm driving a white Astra, right? Okay.
Old knackered white Astra. Because I haven't thought I've got, and I've got cash in my pocket
by now, right? Because I'm doing okay. And I've pulled in and I parked up with my mate and
somewhere in Fulham to park to go to the game. And these people have walked past and they went,
oh, isn't that Tim Lovejoy? And the other person goes, nah, can't be, he's getting in an Astra.
Right. But that, that changed. I, the next week I went out and bought a Jeep, you know,
Grand Cherokee Jeep. So I thought, I need a car. I'll get the biggest one I can think of.
Because I'm on the telly. I need, I need, I need something. I'm on the TV and that started
me down a line of getting quality cars for a long time. But also you protect your personality
in your cars. You couldn't, you weren't a voxel Astra kind of guy. You were more of the Jeep guy.
That's right. That's what I thought. I was, I was a Jeep guy. Yeah, exactly right. That's exactly
the way to put it. Yeah. So, so yeah, well, with that in mind, before we get them to the hearing
now. So, so then you got the Jeep. So what, was there a sort of progression of TV cars,
if you like, or things that you thought you needed to have? Well, I'd be, yes. So I became,
I became a real TV lovey then because I got in with Audi. Right. Audi one day, you know, they
used to, they did a great for VIP presented wine and wine and dynasty. You had to turn up to a
couple of things and that was it. And they gave me an A8. Nice. And then I was like, it's a big
car, isn't it? And then one day they said, look, we don't want to, we're pulling some of these cars
back now. Do you want to buy one? I said, yeah, what shall I get? And they went, should we,
should we sort it for you? And I went, yeah, yeah, yeah. So they gave me a nice price on an A4.
I had a TV in it. Oh my God, I had a car with a TV in it. That's why you could watch yourself
while you were driving. That's why James liked me on the show. Cause I was like, oh my God,
not the engine. I was like, I had a thing with a TV in it. And I used to take my kids to like
their sporting things. And I would watch them a lot, but sometimes there'd be a Champions League
match on. This is when it was on terrestrial telly, ITV. I could sit in the car park. Watching the
football whilst the kids, I couldn't believe it. And so then every time I upgraded, I was like,
wow, has he got a telly in it? Like that. Then I went for the big cars after the A4. I went Q7,
Q7 did a load of those. And then things changed. I thought, why do I need such a big car? I don't
go with very many places and the kids were not traveling with me as much. As they get older,
you need less space, don't you? So I thought, yes. So I thought, do you know what I am? It's
I'm a city guy. So I'm going to get myself a mini. And it was right at the start of a mini Sunday.
Do you know mini actually? Like they're everywhere, aren't they? And I bought myself one of those,
like it was a petrol, but I had a bit of electric to it as well. Oh yeah, a hybrid.
Yeah, but it wasn't a hybrid, which it was a, you actually had to plug it in to get the electric
going. It's not one of those ones where you drive and then it recharged itself like a Prius.
Yeah, you actually plug in hybrid. Right, let's have what it's called.
It's a hybrid you've got to plug in. It's a plug-in hybrid. He was there. He just had,
you just had to get the word from the mail order. You were doing great. So,
so I had this plug-in hybrid, right? And then the pandemic hit again, right?
And then something happened. I can't remember what you remember, Vicky. That suddenly petrol
stations closed down. Oh my gosh. Why did that happen? Yeah, everyone was just in a mad panic
and filled up all their cars to the brim in a panic buy. So all of a sudden the petrol wasn't in
the pumps. It was in every single person's car maxed out. I know I had a couple of panicky ones.
And then they were, you can only get £15 worth of fuel today if you, you know,
then queued for an hour or something. So I had enough electricity in my car to get me
to work and back and then I wouldn't use it again because that was it. That's all I needed.
And then I thought, this is pretty good. So the next mini I got was fully electric.
And is that what you've got now? No. No.
What have you got now? So the fully electric mini, I mean, I'm sure they're great now,
but it's got no mileage on it. Also, the salesman started hassling me and I kept going,
what are the prices? What are the prices? What are the prices? And they started annoying me.
So one day I went online and asked AI, because I like doing that, what's the best small electric
car I can get around town? And Renault 5 had just gone and won car of the year.
Full circle for you. Exactly. Did you go for the yellow one?
No, I tried. Did you go right again? No, I didn't. They're black.
They're only coming black and yellow or maybe green as well.
You can get a white one. I think you have to pay extra. Maybe it's a new color
from when you ordered. So they lent me one to trial and they lent me a yellow one.
Had a union jack on the roof and I couldn't quite work out what I had a union jack on.
I said, should it be a French flag on the roof? And they went, no, what we're doing is we're
like mocking the mini. I was thinking, really? Oh my God, that's ridiculous. But anyway,
so I eventually bought a Renault 5 and so that's what I've got. It can come. It can come with
extras. Do you know what it has? It has a TV. No, TV's gone. It's electric Renault 5,
but it has a baguette holder. Oh, yes. I don't have one of those, but you can get a baguette
holder. Baguette holder. Yeah, you can get a baguette holder. I mean, that's the most
French thing in the world. Exactly, isn't it? Nothing's more French than a baguette holder.
Do you want a baguette holder? Yeah. Yeah. It can park itself. I've never done it, but...
Yeah, they're quite neat parking itself. You just basically do it on your phone or, you know,
on an app and you're on the pavement and it can park. That's amazing. Other cars can do that too.
Yeah. Yeah. It is phenomenal technology, the way it's advancing. Yes, I thought it was weird
that it's kind of... But I've got to tell you about this car, which is strange, is people keep stopping
me and asking me about it. I think it's really done something for people. I think people have...
It's nostalgia. Nostalgia. Because the design of it is so similar to the original Renault 5,
it's absolutely kicked into the nostalgia. I've had a couple of Renault 5s and people have stopped me
as well and had chats. Yeah. It's man, isn't it? It's lovely. But then what they do is they say,
how does it drive like? And I'm like, why are you asking me? What do I know about it?
20 miles an hour everywhere. It's all right. But there's an nostalgia theme with all of this,
obviously, because, you know, it's harking back to the 90s again, isn't it, really, in terms of the
car and sort of all that retro feel. I was going to... I mean, this was the thing. I was going to
ask you whether electric cars were your thing, but you've already said that they are.
Do you know what? Yeah, I like them. I don't like the fact that I never go far in it. You know,
I'm going to go back to where my parents live out in Hertfordshire and stuff. But I don't...
They're a nightmare if you're thinking about going long distance. And I refuse to do that. I go with
my girlfriend in her car. I was going to say, because you almost need two cars, don't you? If you've
got... You know, if you're in town, in a big city, electric makes total sense, but for distance,
you almost need something else. We haven't got the infrastructure, I don't think, still. Do you
agree with that? Yeah, yeah. We all need to switch our brains and just plan. And if you can sit down
and plan, then it becomes doable. You can make it into life. But if you're on the run all the time
and it's just not... Yeah. It's not going to... You're not ready. I don't think you as a human are
ready for long distance electric travel, but it is... Tim, personally, or people doing it.
Personally, I wouldn't do it. It's just like... I can't imagine standing there, sitting there for
half an hour on a service station or whatever. But there are cars now which are just being able
to do 500 miles in one chunk. And if you knock that down by 100 miles, because you've got the
heating on this at the other, say 400 miles, and all of a sudden that becomes okay. And you can
plug that in, go and have a cup of coffee. You do 10 minutes? Yeah. 10 minutes go from 10 to 80%
charge. Only a few cars at the minute are doing that. But it's coming. It's, you know, the...
Because I worry about how much weight you'd put on, generally. If you had to be in the service
station for an hour, all those people just sitting... You know, that's the problem, isn't it? You'd be
there thinking, I might as well have a Burger King one or whatever, you know? I'm gonna have a
Chucky Bar as well because we've got another 20 minutes. Yeah. I do like the... When I drive my
girlfriend's car, it's like, I do love getting back into an engine again. But there is that
dragging thing which you don't get with an electric... General inertia kind of thing. Whereas
electric, it's instant torque off you go. Yeah. It's just like a go-kart. Yes.
Especially the Mini, which was really low down. The Renault 5 is not so much, but it really is
just like, you know, getting into a go-kart and drive. I quite like the experience, if I'm honest
with you. So, yeah, I don't mind it at all. Yeah. Is there one car in particular that you've had
that you would want to keep? I really like the Q7. I thought that was just so relaxing driving
that car. And I didn't. I mean, the first one I had had a TV in it and everything. By the way,
you can't watch TV while you're driving. No, ever. But that was just pure... To me, that's pure
luxury. You're up high in the traffic. It had everything on it. The cruise control, the lane
control. You know, you just sit there and really just... It's sitting like... I'm not a massive
fan of driving because often it's in London or around. I mean, they're too big those cars,
probably, for London. But I did quite enjoy the... Just if you were in a traffic jam, it'd be all
right. You're sitting in like an armchair. I think Clarkson described those as looking like a hippo
in a vice, didn't he? I think that was his expression, which I can always kind of... Can't
unsee now. But they are love. I mean, the Audi's make good cars, don't they? I had a couple of
sports cars, they lent me. What was the one... What's the... Is it an R8 or an Audi TT?
Well, it's the R8 one. That's like a... Yeah, like a Porsche 911. Yeah. Like full-on sports car.
Yeah. Oh, no. I was lent a Lotus once just for a couple of days to do something for a car magazine
and they lent it to me to us. And I just remember sitting there. Was it... Would it have been a
Lotus Elise? Yeah, it could have been. Yeah. And I remember sitting in the... Thinking,
if I crash this, there's not a lot between the front of this car and my legs. No.
It felt really, you know, not secure at all in a car like that. They all are full-on crash-tested,
so don't you worry. Are they? But, yeah. Bigger cars versus smaller cars are always going to be
like physics. Also drove the Audi R8 and stuff. But it's... I don't need that in London. It's such
a waste. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of car for London as well. Yeah. Yeah. I had one of those Lotus
Elise's on loan for the weekend once years ago and it was me and my missus at the time when we
decided to go up to the Peak District. But kind of to use the car. Thought, well, we've got this
till Monday. Let's use it. And her face, because she had this overnight bag. She couldn't...
Like it's... No boot. No nothing. I mean, there was enough room to put your sandwiches in the back
and that was it. And just remember her with this massive, great bag. I couldn't see in front of her.
This huge bag and whatever. And the engine's right behind you. Kind of like that for three hours.
And just not impressed at all. Mimo, Dave's at the wheel. I loved it. I loved it.
He was brilliant. I was taking my mates for like little test drives. I've been down the motorway
when I had it. It's just my memory. I drove that G-Wiz, that's an electric car, wasn't it? There you
go. You were ahead of your time. Well, it wasn't a car. It's more a quadra cycle. It doesn't come
under the car. I had four seats in it. We were trying to get my golf clubs in it,
remember, and all that sort of stuff. But you did it, though. I managed to do it.
Well, I remember driving around... We picked it up in Soho or somewhere. I remember driving around
Soho thinking... And everyone kept walking out in front of it because they couldn't hear it.
I think people are getting used to electric cars now. But at the time, it's funny how
people just couldn't imagine a car not making any noise. That was just the step
to our front of it. We were always nervous about... That's the one thing about electric cars,
is you get nervous about running out. So you're always looking at the...
And the party. Yeah, exactly. No, I would be. Yeah. We're approaching final question time,
scarily. But before we do that, we need you to take part in our quick fire round, please.
Mr. Lovejoy. It's called 0-60 cleverly because you'll have almost exactly 60 seconds on the clock
to answer as many questions as you can. We will give you a point for each and then we'll tally
them all up and give you a final score that hopefully you'll be able to impress your
mates down the clock. Okay. Wow. So if you're ready with the first question,
pick your button. Are you ready with the stopwatch, Mr. Vitti? I'm going to prime the stopwatch.
Okay. Can I pass? You can pass if you want to. But you don't get points for a pass. You will know
when it's time's up because you'll hear that noise. That's expensive. I haven't even put
these on expenses yet. These are all from Amazon. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Are you ready? Yeah.
What car was your first automotive crush? Crush. Citroen Safari DS. I think they're called those
old ones, which they use in the horse racing because of the suspension. Quick question.
What's your favourite animal? A cat. Hot hatch or super car? A super car. Who's your favourite
spice girl? That's not fair. I interviewed them all. I've never met Mel B. I'll say her because
I'm not mad. American muscle or Italian flair? Italian flair, easy. Do you like Formula One?
I like the documentary series about it. I love that. Drive to survive. Is that a yes or no?
Yes, because of that. Ford or Vauxhall? I'm going to go Ford. Indian or Chinese and we're talking
takeaways, not cars. Indian. What's your worst habit in a car? I don't have a habit in a car.
I don't have habits in a car. What habits do you have in a car? What habit?
Time's up. I'm going to let you finish it. A habit in a car. Do you gesticulate at other drivers?
No, because I've learned not to do that. Have we finished time?
No, that's the big thing that I learn is that, oh, God, you're going to love this because it's a
car show. So I'm a bit nuts and I've had a few mental health issues in my time, like everyone on
telly. But yeah, one of the things I learn is that you can do stuff to limit your stress levels.
And I once got out of a car, road rage, as soon as I opened the door and got out of the car, I went,
what am I doing? This is insanity. So I went away and read up on it. And I thought, the best thing
you can do, you're going to love this. It's a great tip for you. If you're the person who's always
pulling over or pulling in, then you never have to get to the stage where you gesticulate because
you're always the superior human. So if there's one of those roads which they're coming together...
A zip. Are they called a zip? Wait, you've got two lanes going into one.
Just let the other person go in front of you. If you're going down a street and there's two of
you coming each other, if you're always the one who pulls in, not only do you not get an argument,
you're superior. And every now and then you can do the little motion, come on, you come like that,
which makes you really, really powerful as a person because you're the one who's got the
ability to the calmness to pull in. Also, it makes you feel nice as well because you've helped
somebody else out. I totally get it. Is that you being passive? Would that make you a passive one?
I say that's just you being super intelligent and the one in control. Passive maybe, but yeah,
in control you do feel in control, but it also stops you getting into that mess. And I cycle a
lot. I've got an e-bike and I cycle a lot round town because that's the best way of getting around.
And I learnt one day because that would get me aggravated slightly. Actually, I'd say more so
with other cyclists than drivers because cyclists, there's a lot of cyclists out there who don't
know how to cycle. None of them look over their shoulder. And I always think, God, these guys
are good. How are they surviving every day? Well, they have earphones in as well, which I can't
fathom that. How can you cycle? Yes, I agree. Because that just blows my mind. Because you need
that awareness to hear something behind you. I just don't know how you do that.
I don't want to get into a dispute with people who live around my way, but there's a cycle
lane they've put in. I'm not sure I should cycle. There's a cycle lane they've put in,
but they've put in a two-way cycle lane, right? So it's a new road on the side of a busy road.
And yeah, on a car road. And cyclists can go both ways. And all the people who love the cyclists,
by the way, I'm a cyclist and a car driver, they're always going on about how wonderful it is.
It's horrific because cars can't get through it. They've got to get through
two lanes of traffic and cyclists. So if a car pulls its nose out, which is how you get out,
right? If it pulls out, what cyclists do is they start banging cars and I stop and go,
come on, come through or whatever. But cyclists do not accept that. It's their lane. And then
cyclists are allowed to have a free ride all the way through. They're naturally angry on this,
aren't they? Yeah, it's a really bad idea. And so many cars just pull out in front of you because
they don't understand because they're not looking both ways. It's mad. Anyway. But then imagine
how automated, how a driverless car is going to cope with that kind of a situation. A driverless
car will never pull out. That's a good one. How will it have that observation that way?
I know. And that's one of my big points with driverless cars in towns. It's like all of those
stepping stones of pedestrians, buses, bus routes, bike routes before it can go out.
Clever, more clever people than me. I can't even say it. Cleverer people than me will be working
that out. Have you seen the Tesla driving through the graveyard? No. Oh, this, you know when you
were in a Tesla, right? Have you been in a Tesla? Yes. Okay. You know, they have little mini people
as they walk down the street. So if they drive through a graveyard, there's people walking
around the graveyard, the Tesla spots people walking in the graveyard. Don't believe me,
go online and look. That's our afternoon searches. It is brilliant. It is brilliant. Anyway, so
getting back to my cycling. So it's stressful cycling in London until you set off every day
and you smile. And if you smile, I know this sounds like, and I think that could probably
work in a car as well, right? Yeah, totally. So you smile and when someone pulls out,
you just smile and then they actually smile back and go, sorry, like that sort of thing.
So that's what I try and do. Rather than be angry, I try and smile. So I've got to become a much
better driver. It's not stressful anymore. No, you are growing into your name, aren't you? Love.
Yes, perfect. I didn't think about that. Piece of love joy.
Right. Our final question, your dream drive. Can you please paint the picture for us?
Where in the world are you? Where are you going? Who are you with? And most importantly,
what wheels are you in? Can I have done it before? Yes. Okay.
Okay. So a couple of years ago, I was watching some TV show and I saw Romesh Ranganathan talking
about some bloke living in the Highlands of Scotland on one of the islands up there and
Isla Lewis actually. I shouldn't say the name because I don't want anyone else to go there.
But I've said it. And then I talked up because the guy was so lovely. I talked to him up and then
he said to me, he contacted me on social media and he said, why don't you come up sometime? So
I said to my youngest daughter at the time, I said, let's do it. Let's get the train. And so
when you go to a place like Isla of Lewis, it is, I mean, Britain to me is phenomenal. I love it,
all the British Isles, every bit of it. And we did this drive because there's no one there.
And there's no trees. There's one bit where they planted trees, but I don't think they're
indigenous to the island. So you're just driving through the, I'd like to say Heather, I think
it's Heather. Bracken. Bracken or whatever. You're just driving through these lovely rolling things.
And because you're in, you're in, so I had my daughter next to me. It was the first time we'd
done that sort of thing. And it's like, you know, it's, it's one of those great bonding.
It's quality time, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. And in Scotland, the sky is very, because there's
no trees, it's very low on you. So you feel alive, right? You feel absolutely alive. And one minute
there's like these beautiful fluffy clouds, then there's blue sky, then it's raining. And you know,
the weather changed every two minutes up there. It's fantastic. So going through that drive for me
was, was absolutely wonderful. The car of choice I would go for is when I was a kid growing up,
the ultimate car for me was because of all the celebrities was the Rolls Royce.
I'm not sure I've ever been in one. I don't think I've ever been in a Rolls Royce.
Well, I can tell you that they're lovely. But when I was, when I was a kid, they were like
green and yellow and Ronnie Barker was in them and Ronnie Corbett, sorry, with his golf clubs. And
actually we drove to, we drove to the West End once, my parents and me. And I remember we used to
go for up to London every now and then to do, I don't know what we'd do. And then I remember pulling,
we were like near one of the parks and I looked over and there was Kenny Everett. Do you remember
Kenny Everett sitting in the back of a Rolls Royce? You were sitting in the back of Rolls Royce
and I could not believe I'd seen a celebrity in a Rolls Royce. Well, a celebrity full stop.
If you'd have seen him in the back of a voxel astra, what would you have thought?
That's not Kenny Everett.
He's got white wing mirrors to go with the white paintwork. He's got accents.
Yeah, but I think I'd go for like a Rolls Royce. I don't know if they're, they're still,
are they still, I mean, they're still up there, aren't they? Oh yeah, totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Beautiful bits of waftiness. Yeah, and powerful. I mean, the problem with the Rolls Royce though is
I don't want, I don't like being driven around or like driving myself. Yeah. Yeah. They lend
themselves to a chauffeur. They do. They do. They do. They do. Really. You almost don't really
feel right driving it yourself. No, but you do feel very special when you do. Yeah. Yeah.
Is it a nice drive? I felt, when I was driving it, driving them, I always feel like how I imagine
the Queen would have felt. Really? Yeah, because you just sort of, you just sort of breathe in
this opulent elegance and just sophistication, which I don't have in my normal life. Have you,
Rolls Royce gives you one? Have you donated one of those? No, I've not. No, I've not. Thank you for,
thank you for putting that on my list. This should be an item somewhere. Yeah, exactly.
How many cars can you donate? I actually donated it. Yeah. There you go. We're a new feature.
I tell you what, talking, if you were talking about Scotland, I think you would love this,
there's a thing called the North Coast 500, which you may be aware of, which is essentially is a
road trip that the Highland Tourist Board, I think, have invented. And it starts and finishes in
Venice. And it basically, because if you, the top of Scotland is a peninsula, right? So you go out
to the West Coast and up there along the top and then back down, or you can do it the other way
around, it's roughly 500 miles. But it is pound for pound. And this, back to your point about the
UK being absolutely beautiful and one of the most pretty places on, you know, but pound for pound,
it is stunning. And if you ever get the opportunity with your girlfriend or with your kids or whatever
it is or with a mate, it's just the most fabulous road trip is stunning. How long does it take?
You can do it in about three or four days comfortably, you know? But it's a really,
really nice trip. And go to Inverness and hire whatever you want or something and then go and do
it. But I've done it in an electric car. It takes a bit of planning and some stopping, but it's,
you can do it. It's good, you enjoy it. Yeah, yeah. Really good. I've done it in a petrol car as well.
Right. Yeah, I used to, I used to be a swag man with bands, selling t-shirts. And up until,
this was my early 20s when my first jobs. And up until then, you know, Britain's just Britain,
it's like Watford, it's London, it's a bit like that. Who knows about Scotland and all that sort
of stuff. Yeah. Never been, yeah. Suddenly when you're touring around with bands and suddenly,
you know, I went with some small bands and some big bands, suddenly you end up driving through,
I mean, Wales is unbelievable. What an amazingly beautiful country. And Britain,
England is sorry. And then up to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, unbelievable,
all of it. It's just, you start, it's breathtaking where we live. It really is. Makes you wonder
why we get on a plane and go somewhere else sometimes. Well, I don't very often now. Because
I kind of like being here. I really like, I really like our climate and everything. I just love it.
You know, in Norway, so I'm talking too much. No, no, no, no. It's good. I like it.
It's scandalous. But I'm with you though. I like traveling around the UK. I really enjoy it.
And I think the answer to your question is the weather. That's the reason why people go away.
But in terms of, they don't go away to find somewhere prettier. They just go away to find
somewhere sunnier, don't they? I think essentially. Well, I'll tell you that it's right. I've got
mates in Norway and I go there a lot because I love Norway. I just like the people, I like the
the climate there and I like everything. And I'll tell my girlfriend to this place called
Stavanger. I wish I hadn't mentioned that. Can you bleep all the places I mention out?
So are we right in thinking that all of the places that you like, we need to bleep so that
then tourism doesn't ruin them for you? Yeah, we don't. Well, bizarrely, we went there and I said
to her, you're going to love this place because there's no, she'd never been there before because
there's no one there. It's like, it's brilliant. It's like clothes. I got there and it was busy.
I was like, you know, not too busy, but busy. And I was like, what has happened here?
Met my mate and we were having a chat. I said, why has it got so busy? It's never been this
busy because I always have a joke with him when I go there. I said, it's closed. Why is it always
closed this town? And he said, oh, it's because we've started marketing ourselves. We went in
the summer as a Caucasian, not a state-cation, but a Caucasian, C-O-O-L-Casian. And the reason
being is that the Mediterranean has got so hot over the last few years and people can't stand it
that they're saying, we've still got a nice climate up here and we'll get to about 20 degrees
and sometimes a bit more than that. But you can have a lovely holiday, but it's cool here and you
don't have to get... And people are flocking there, you know, because they're getting too hot
in the traditional holidays. Well, do you know what? Before you mention any more places that you
don't want to be broadcast, I think we're going to have to call it quits on this and that's just
about it for this week's Fuelling Around, brought to you by Adrian Flux. As the UK's largest specialist
insurance broker, Adrian Flux will tailor a quote to exact needs, helping save you money on your
car, your bike or even, Vicky, your home insurance. Well, it just leaves me to say a massive thank
you to our super guest this week, Mr Tim Lovejoy, who you will be able to see on your screens,
Channel 4, 10 o'clock Sunday for pretty much 52 weeks of the year. 52 weeks of the year we're on,
amazing. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Cheers. It's a pleasure.
Thank you, Tim. Really, really nice to see you. Don't forget to press the subscribe button on
YouTube so that you never miss an episode, or you can press the follow button on Apple or Spotify
or wherever you get your podcasts from. Until next time. Bye-bye.
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